President Harold Von Darren
This article is about Harold Von Darren. For a list of Herrich Presidents click here. President Harold Von Darren (80BFG-8AFG) was the 1st President of Herrich from 57BFG-8AFG. Early life Harold Von Darren was born to the Darren Family within the Empire of man in 80BFG on the southern beaches on the Northern Continent. Military career Harold Darren joined the Imperial Expeditionary Core at the age of 14 in 66BFG. He quickly rose to the rank of Knight-General for his leadership of the Eastern Campaign in 59BFG and was designated the name of Von. When the Empire collapsed the year later, Von Darren decided to organize his remaining troops and locals into Herrich. Political career Von Darren was unanimously elected President of Herrich following its creation. Seeing the faults of a large empire, President Von Darren acted on a strict policy of isolationism. The only time he was recorded as having deviated from this was the creation of the Quad Kingdoms Alliance, which would have joined the major powers of the time (Motu, Gargantia, the Hulon Republic, and Herrich) in a mutual alliance. Another policy affected by his time in the Empire of Man was his strict ethnic and species purity laws. Under his administration no Lizzarians or Iwi where not allowed citizenship and where very rarely allowed inside the nation. His disgust towards non-humans where regular seen in his addresses and letters. An example can be seen in his personal letter to then head of foreign relation Mathew Edwards I regarding trade with Lizzaria. "...It is unfortunate that the Republic must converse with such savages. Thier faces lack emotion and their bodies are built for experience of a more manual nature. But still, their simple minds would make advantages business partners..." Fall of Gargantia and the Capitol Rebellion When Motu issued a sea tax over the floating city of Gargantia, crippling their trade. The small nation invaded the seemingly weak Motu. While the invasion was successful at first, Motuesse resistance soon pushed back the attackers and massacred the remanding forces. Further crippled from the lost invasion, Gargantia succumbed to years of revolution until the Hulon Republic, working with Motu. Shot down the flying city and killed the ruling party of Gargantia (Communist Republic of Gargantia). When it was learned that President Von Darren of Herrich knew about the genocide at Gargantia and refused to help, protesters turned to rioters as the people demanded a stronger government. One revolutionary by the name of Matthew W. Edwards II (son of foreign advisor Matthew W. Edwards I) rallied the people under a new ideology founded in Herrich’s neighbors Ferra and Fructum, Fascism. The war ended when President Darren was killed in an explosion via a bomb planted in his office, and Edwards II was Elected president. Legacy Von Darren's role was stricken from Herrich documents and his sheer existence was barely known till the de-imperialization of President Franklin's administration. In modern times, the 2nd Herrich Empire acknowledges President Von Darren's role in creation Herrich although his anti-lizzarian policies are widely criticized. President Von Darren has become the face of many isolationist parties around Dictoria.